The latest

All been a bit quiet here of late; for some reason it’s felt like tempting fate to blog instead of work this semester. Now it’s all finished, with the last exam sat, and nothing to do but wait for the results; so here are some reflections on the last year.

I’ve been waiting a long time to study Greek art, and it was entirely worth the wait. Black-figure and archaic red-figure pots are still my favourite, but I’ve got a better appreciation of a much broader range of art now, and a good foundation for much further study. I immediately want to rush off and see some more in real life rather than on the page, which is unfortunate as I have no immediate prospects of getting to the British Museum, the Fitzwilliam, or the Ashmolean, whose exhibition on finds from Macedon looks particularly tempting.

The most rewarding subject has been my dissertation, which was an excellent exercise in scoping out a subject, doing the reading, changing direction, focusing down on the main themes, and turning it all into a reasonably scholarly piece of writing. And the finished product was a work of beauty, with spiral binding and colour illustrations! I am definitely ready to do more research, and seriously planning the best way to pursue an M.A.

I’m pleased to have done some Menander and quite enjoyed Demosthenes, but could take it or leave it. Thucydides and I have come to a grudging mutual understanding, but are in no hurry to prolong our acquaintance. I thoroughly enjoyed Wasps and was pleased to confirm that the smoke joke at line 144 is the best one in it; I’d love to see it performed, but am not holding my breath, as performances of classical drama seem to have receded again following a high point a few years ago. And rather against expectation, I think Pindar’s soft-voiced odes with silvered faces are entirely brilliant.

I have no major plans for self-improvement over the summer, but intend to find some time for relaxation rather than carving out every possible moment for work. It’s been something of a slog. But next year is a much lighter workload, and my enthusiasm is unabated.

Cold feet

Not literally at this precise moment, though snow lies heavy on the sullen ground. More figuratively, in terms of what I have in store next semester: a draft dissertation to transfigure into half the length and four times the quality; an intensive module on Greek Art; a language paper including two unseens and a lot of lyric; and an enormous chunk of Aristophanes’ Wasps to translate. And all kinds of domestic and administrative difficulties which make it difficult, if not impossible, to find useful amounts of time to do it in. It’s not the work which causes me concern at this stage, it’s the logistics. If I do pull it off, I’ll be on the home straight next year, with a mere two papers to complete; if not, there goes my degree class. No pressure.